Mumbai: Partially AC local likely to hit tracks in September

Even as the Western Railway is on a tight schedule to service its first and only operational air-conditioned local train, a new kind of local which will be partially air-conditioned is likely to be introduced in Mumbai come September.

Either six or three of its 12 coaches will be air-conditioned and not the rest. DNA recently reported about the how the AC rake is due for periodic maintenance ('You might not have an AC local in September', on July 29) and will be taken off the tracks in a month. If the new partially AC train arrives, it will give some respite to commuters in the largely humid month. According to Railway Board officials, the partial AC local, manufactured by the Integral Coach Factory, Chennai, would give people the option of either entering a regular coach or an AC one, without having to wait for the next train.

"The first partial AC local will most likely come by September this year. There are seven such rakes that are being manufactured," said Rajesh Agrawal, Member (Rolling Stock), Railway Board.

This train, once it arrives in Mumbai, will most likely run on the western line, after undergoing necessary trials. The total number of rakes that are procured of this kind will eventually be divided between Western and Central Railway.

At present, there is no clarity on how many coaches the suburban railways will run as AC. The Railway Board has left it to the authorities here to decide whether they want a combination of 6:6 AC-non-AC train, or 9:3 AC-non-AC train.

Sources in WR said that they prefer running nine non-AC coaches with three AC coaches, all attached in a single 12-car train, as they guesstimate that more people would opt for the cheaper non-AC option to travel.

"We can convert the first class coaches into AC coaches, while the rest can be non-AC. The decision will be taken at a higher level," said a senior WR official.

The WR officials are already harrowed by the troubles which the second fully AC train, under trail on suburban tracks, is giving them. On July 30, WR officials also discussed with Railway Board authorities the technical issues cropping up in this AC local, whose circuitry has been put together by the Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited (BHEL). But glitches abound: from automatic door closure (wrong door open), indicator panels and circuit breakers (which trip while the train is in motion) to power supply through transformers and traction motors. Rail officials are currently inspecting and rectifying the hiccups.

Currently, the Western Railway runs only one AC local, with 12 cars, and it needs to undergo a major overhaul, which takes at least a month or more. During the periodic maintenance, all major components and parts will be inspected and replaced if needed. These include wheels and axles, power transformers and internal equipment.